Friday, March 26, 2010

Four additional bus routes now supplement Metrobus’ Q2 on the busy Veirs Mill Road corridor that connects Shady Grove, Montgomery College, Rockville, Wheaton and Silver Spring thanks to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro), in partnership with the County and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The Veirs Mill Road corridor serves about 10,000 riders a day. Because of its popularity and heavy route traffic, the line suffered from frequent overcrowding and poor schedule adherence. A comprehensive study, rider survey and series of public meetings led to the service improvements for routes Q1, Q4, Q5 and Q6.

In addition to the route changes, several operational improvements will help the service to run more smoothly. Among these are:

Increased Supervision – A team of Metrobus supervisors will focus only on the operation of the Q Line.

Greater Parking Enforcement – Enforcement of parking regulations around bus stops will help improve the overall flow of bus service, especially along Georgia Avenue and in Silver Spring.

Enhanced Bus Driver Training – Additional training will be given to bus drivers to help them deal with problems specific to the Q Line.

For more details about the new service, go to Metro’s website, call Metro Customer Service at 202-637-7000, go to the County’s website or call the Montgomery County Transit Information Center at 240-777-7433.